Question Single USB Port Acting Strangely

Aug 17, 2022
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Hello,

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this, I am new to this forum and am experiencing a very strange issue. I think it is related to Windows 11, but I am worried it might be my motherboard(?)

The TL/DR version: I have many USB ports on my computer, both A and C, of various speeds. They all work fine, except for one specific port. If I plug an external HDD into that particular port, Windows treats it as if it is a non-removable internal disk. (No option to remove whatsoever, need to power down to safely remove.) If I use any of the other ports, Windows recognizes it correctly as removable and I can safely eject it before disconnecting.

I can read / write data and the drive functions 100% properly, but is listed only as an 'internal' drive so I cannot remove it safely without powering down. The problem has been isolated to this particular USB port, but there is one additional oddity - If I plug a USB hub into this port and then plug the drive into the USB hub, it is recognized properly (as removable) - It's only when I directly connect the drive to this one specific port that I have this issue. This behaviour is identical for several different drives from different manufacturers, and the problem is always present on this one specific port.

Some background, I recently did a "Reinstall windows but keep your files", and I think I may have had a USB drive plugged into that port when I did it, not sure if that's relevant. (The reinstall was for other reasons and I am not certain if I had this issue before.) I am considering doing it again but making sure that nothing extra is plugged into the PC, to see if that helps.

If any of the drives are plugged into any other USB ports (or to the hub in the 'bad' port), they show up properly in Device Manager as 'removable USB storage', as well as the 'disk drives' section. In the 'disk drives' section I can set policies like 'quick removal' vs 'better performance', further supporting that the system knows it is external. In the 'bad port', it only lists those options that are common to internal drives (with no referance to removability.)

What I have done so far:
  • Rebooted PC several times
  • Uninstalled all devices under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" in Device Manager (This was tricky as it disables my keyboard and mouse. Needed to remote in to finish a reboot)
  • Tried to reseat internal cables, but they are too hard to reach and very firmly attached at present
  • Hit my head on the desk for a while
Any suggestions would be appreciated. If I have missed any key information to provide, I apologize, please let me know and I will provide it.

-Rob
 
Aug 17, 2022
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Which USB port on which motherboard model is it?

The motherboard is a MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI. The specific port isn't on the motherboard directly (those 8 all work fine), it's one of the three ports on the top front of the case. On that spot there are one USB-C and two USB-A, it's the first of the two A's.

For a while I didn't even realize it was a port specific problem, as that is the most accessible (and therefore most often used) one.

Tried to see if I could reset the cables but they are very hard to reach and very firmly attached. And I can still read/write normally, so I don't think it's hardware...(?)
 
Aug 17, 2022
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And again, if I put a USB hub between the bad port and the drive, it works normally. Which is a real head scratcher.

The three drives I tried it with are two Seagate Backup Plus' and a single WD My Passport. All behave identically. Issue is 100% present on the 'bad' port and 0% on all of the others, or if a hub is used.
 
Aug 17, 2022
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Update: Fixed!

Thank you for sending me this page. For some reason I have not been able to find official driver and support material for this model of PC until now. It is greatly appreciated.

While I was waiting on a reply I reinstalled Windows again with nothing connected. (no luck.)

The BIOS file listed on that page is the exact same as the one I currently had, so I didn't flash it. (Version E7D25IZ1.AA2, build date 11/03/2021, regardless of what it says on the webpage.) I tried updating the chipset driver on a whim, didn't help.

The two USB-A ports on the front of the case use a common port with a branched cable from the motherboard. I could find no damage or pinched / bent cables wherever I looked. They are too firmly attached to examine closely, I would have to undo all of the cable management.

Since I was on the page for the motherboard, I took a look and to my surprise the BIOS offered there was different, a newer version: 7D25vA7, build date 06/23/2022

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z690-A-WIFI/support

After flashing that bios version the port seems to be working perfectly. I will continue to test but for now it looks like the issue is fixed!

Thank you very much for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
 
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